Memories
by 101supertails
Summary: In the city of Inkopolis, an inkling boy named Zack finds a lost and confused inkling girl who has no memory of who she was, or why she's even in Inkopolis in the first place. Not wanting to leave her in such a state, Zack decides to help her regain her memory, and as time goes on, the girl will slowly remember her memories, past, and the reason why she's in Inkopolis.
1. Chapter 1: The Lost Girl

Chapter 1: A Lost Girl

Zzz…

Zzz…

"Yo Zack! Come on wake up! We got a big day planned for turf wars!"

"Ugh…" I said as I awoke from my peaceful slumber. "You know, knocking would be the better solution next time Jerry!" I yelled. But regardless, I was going to get up at some point anyway, so I lazily threw my bed sheets off of me and got off of my bed. I took a look into the mirror to see the same face every time I wake up in the morning…

Brown eyes, blue eyebrows, blue hair color, tan skin, average inkling height, and the same black eye rims and fangs all inklings share…

I took the time to get a quick stretch out and looked at the clock on my corner table. It read 12:06 PM.

"Jeez! I overslept! No wonder Jerry wants me up now." I exclaimed. But thankfully we don't need to make it to our turf war battles in about another hour and a half, so I got time. But I swear I set the alarm last night…

Oh well. It doesn't matter now. I decided to grab some clothes out of my closet and get ready to take an ink shower so I don't smell on the battlefield, and because I don't wanna go in wearing my squid PJ's. Something tells me that some squid out there would probably do that just that… Anyways, as I opened the door, I see my childhood friend and roommate standing in the doorway. Jerry was wearing a white anchor tee which matches with his pale skin, the comfy and easy to wear shorts that a lot of inklings wear, and a pair of neon green slugs with white socks to match his light green hair and eyebrows, as well as a hairband to wrap his tentacles/hair in a ponytail like most male inklings do. His yellow eyes behind his pair of retro specs glasses were staring at me with patience… and looking somewhat annoyed…

"Dude you overslept… again. I thought you set your alarm for 10 AM…"

"I thought I did too but I forgot apparently… sorry." I said, a little embarrassed.

"Well the next time this happens, I'm gonna leave without you." He said jokingly.

"Hey I said I was sorry… I'm not used to an alarm bro…" But I knew Jerry was kidding when he said that. He can be quite the joker…

"Ehh its okay Zack. Ya still got time to get ready. Just go take an ink shower and I'll start breakfast." Jerry said with a smile. He walked to my right, down the stairs to the living room, and I walked the opposite direction of the white walled hallway, towards the bathroom.

* * *

After that refreshing shower, I walked into the somewhat large kitchen where Jerry was making breakfast. I was now wearing a black anchor tee, navy blue shorts, a takoroka mesh cap (along with my hair/tentacles underneath the cap), and black trainers with white socks. I sat down at the table away from the stove where Jerry was cooking at and awaited my meal. He eventually served me a grilled fish sandwich, with a glass of juice.

I guess it's a brunch instead. Not that I mind since I love grilled fish. Jerry also made one for himself and was sitting on the opposite end of the table, eating his sandwich while reading something on his squidphone. Which reminds me… I should check up on my miiverse and amino…

"So who are we battling today Jerry?" I ask as I start to bite into my delicious sandwich filled with flavor… and ketchup… and that oh so delicious lettuce… and…

"…Well we're gonna be on a team with a boy and girl who are both B rank, and it's against a randomized team, all of which are using… rollers." He said the last part bluntly. "Then against another team using the new splatling and slosher weapons, then against a random group, then another, then… hey Zack! Are you listening?"

"Huh? Yeah! I am!" I said with my mouth full. Honestly, I was more interested in my sandwich. Jerry simply chuckled at my obvious lie.

"Well I'll tell you the schedule when we walk over there. Just finish your sandwich."

Eventually, both of us finished our sandwiches and we both grabbed our weapons and head out the door. I have an inkbrush since I like to move very quickly on the battlefield, and Jerry has a slosher, which was recently released for use in turf wars alongside the splatling gun. It might look like a fancy bucket but that thing does a good job on covering turf…

I should probably look into getting one myself… but I'm fine with my inkbrush. As we leave out the door, Jerry locks the door and I check our mailbox. I was then disappointed as I saw nothing in it.

"Aww… it's still not in the mail yet…"

"Give it some time Zack. You know it's coming from Takoyo…"

I simply pouted. Yeah it's coming from Takoyo but I want it now! Ugh… patience Zack. Good things come to those who wait… for nearly 3 months…

"Well I hope it comes soon… It's been almost 3 months since I ordered it…" I closed the mailbox and we left for the nearby city of Inkopolis.

* * *

Ah yes Inkopolis… The huge and popular city that's home to many creatures including jellyfish, shrimp, sea urchins, a cat that's thousands of years old, and the most common of them all, inklings. The inklings here come in many colors such as orange, blue, green, teal, yellow, and more. And just like us, they all have a fashion sense as well. Some wear fancy clothing, others wear what's popular, and some inklings will even wear strange combinations such as a gas mask with a zeko hoodie and a pair of crazy arrows… whatever works for them I guess…

And just like every other city in the world, it can get pretty loud. Thank cod me and Jerry live away from the city otherwise we would never sleep with all the racket that goes on here.

Eventually, we reach the main plaza of the city, where the Inkopolis tower awaited, as well as the Booyah Base next to it, and the battle dojo as well. As we got closer to the main entrance to the tower, I started to get pumped.

"Oh boy! I can't wait to see what's in store for me!"

"Calm down Zack. We haven't even entered yet… wait what do you mean "what's in store for you?" weren't you listening to me during our walk here?"

"Yeah I was… I'm just saying that I can't wait to see if our partners are good or not. They might be B rank but I'm just wondering if they will be good teammates or not… considering were both B+ and close to reaching A-…"

"Oh don't worry. I'm sure we're gonna get along just fine with them. You shouldn't judge your teammates by their rank. I mean with enough practice and determination, it might be possible for a team of C's to surpass a team of A's."

"… You're right. Sorry."

"It's ok bro. Now come on! Let's have some fun."

I smiled with determination and excitement on my mind.

"Yeah! Let's do this!" We entered the tower and awaited our matches…

* * *

3 hours later… and that could have gone way smoother...

"Sorry dude. I did not expect that to happen at all." Jerry exclaimed. Well to be honest, I wasn't expecting the guy on our group to get into a fist fight with a guy on one of the teams we faced.

"Then again he was protecting his girlfriend… but still we were doing soooo good as a group and then he blew it. Oh well… at least he had the decency to apologize, and thankfully the fight didn't get too out of hand." I said back. I looked to my left and saw the same guy walking under the battle dojo entrance along with his girl. The guy looked bruised but not to a point where it was bad, and the girl looked more or less embarrassed. Though to be honest, I wouldn't blame her.

"Well I gotta go back to the house to work on dinner. You coming along?" Jerry asks. Well I could go to the Booyah Base to check out some of the new gear they got. We did make quite a haul during our matches…

"Nah. I'm gonna head over to the Booyah Base to see what they got. I heard that they have some really new and fresh gear there."

"Alright. Try to get home before 6:30." And with that, Jerry left, leaving me alone. I then decided to go to the Booyah base area to see what's new in store. As I walked toward the area, there was a sign with a squid-like girl on it that looks more like a human. Oh yeah that's right. The Squid Girl outfit that everyone was hype for…

Well it is a popular cartoo-err… anime here in Inkopolis… well I'm not here for squid girl clothes… that hat though… perhaps I might…

* * *

"Ugh of course it would be out of stock!" I exclaimed as I walked out of Cooler Heads, making sure the door was closed so that I wouldn't disappoint Annie. Don't wanna make the girl feel bad. But then again, Squid girl is popular so I kinda expected this to happen. Still, I wanted that hat…

"Oh well, at least I got a nice new outfit." I looked into my bag which held a green tee with a pair of punk whites and a cycle king cap as well.

As I walk out of the store, I look over to a bench nearby, only to see an inkling girl. But after looking at her I noticed that something seemed a bit off about her…

She looked... miserable. As though if she had undergone some sort of crisis and is trying to figure out what to do. She also looked very confused as she was looking all around the area like that bird creature from the animal documents they show on TV.

And it didn't look like any other inkling was gonna help her since there were no nearby inklings… or jellies for that matter. She looked like she was about to cry and honestly… I kinda want to help her… but I don't know if I should… I don't wanna feel like I'm sticking my nose into other squid's businesses.

Then she started to actually cry and hung her head down… tears dripping from her face...

Yeah, maybe I should help her. Mom did always say that it's good to be nice to girls…

I start to walk towards the sobbing girl, and as I step closer, I feel more of this girl's sorrow. I get kinda sad when I see another inkling cry out of depression, so her crying only made me more and more pained as I walked towards her. I eventually got to the bench and sat down next to the girl, but she did not notice me at all yet.

Perhaps I should start up a conversation to get her attention…

"Um excuse me? Are you okay?" I said very calmly towards her.

"I… I… I… don't know…" She said with a shaky voice. Poor girl sounds as though if she's been through some tough times. She also looked like she's been through them too.

Her height appeared to be an average inkling girl's, she had a dirty blue t-shirt on, a pair of ripped jeans, magenta colored hair and eyebrows, and a dirty pair of cream basics.

"You look very confused. Are you lost? Do you need something?" I ask. She then starts to sniffle and cry again…

Smooth move genius…

"Please… don't cry…" I reach into my pocket to find a clean handkerchief that I carry around in case if I sweat during matches.

"Here. Wipe your eyes with this." I handed the girl the handkerchief which she then used to wipe her face. After a few minutes, she seemed to have calmed down and I got a good look at her face…

Oh cod… what happened to her? Her face had about four bruises on it and it looks as though if she had not slept properly in days. I also noticed that her hair tentacles looked… lifeless as they had a darker color… but it looked more greyish rather than just a darker shade. Her yellow colored eyes were a little red from the crying and I can see the pain that spread on her face. I couldn't help but look horrified. Who the hell would do this to her… did some squid do this to her?

"So… what happened?"

She was silent.

"…"

… This silence is getting really awkwar-

"… I… can't… remember…" she quivered with a confused look on her face.

"What… what do you mean?"

"I… can't… remember… anything… I... I…"

She can't stop shivering… and its scaring me... what does she me-

"I can't remember anything! Not my name! Not who I am or who I was! Not the reason I'm in this condition! Nothing!" she sobbed, tears in her eyes yet again.

I was taken aback by her behavior as I did not expect her to lash out like that.

"Whoa whoa! Calm down!" I said, trying to help her keep her cool. "I want to help you but you need to calm down." She then turned to me, her face riddled with despair… She then proceeded to tear up again…

"… I'm sorry. I'm just… so confused… and scared… I don't know what happened or how I even ended up this state."

So that's this girl's issue…

She can't remember her name…or who she was for that matter… I then put my hand on her shoulder.

"… Please calm down. I want to help you out. So… you can't remember anything at all?" she simply shook her head while wiping the tears off her face.

"… Not even how you got here?"

"… Actually… I can only remember waking up behind someone's home. Afterwards, I tried asking some of the city squids about where I am and all I got were inklings telling me that I was in Inkopolis and others telling me to piss off… then I just kept walking and I found myself here. I sat in this bench and tried to think about who I was and what happened but I couldn't think of anything… I even checked my short pockets but nothing was in those either. Then you came and now here we are."

"So let me get this straight. You can't remember anything aside from waking up behind someone's house, and you been trying to figure out who you were ever since?"

She nods in response.

So what we have here is a lost girl with no memory of who she was or any clues that could help…

And from the looks of it she might need a place to stay…

… What should I do?

…

Well if I'm gonna help her out, then I guess…

"Hey… um… so… I'm gonna help you. I don't want to leave you alone with no memory so…" My mouth curves into a warm smile. "I'm going to let you stay at my place until we can cure your amnesia." She looks at me with surprise.

"What? Are… are you sure? I… I don't want to be a-"

"Relax. You won't be a burden to anyone. I promise. Besides, you really don't have any better options, and I don't think you'll like living on the stre-." She then decided to give me an unexpected hug.

"… So I'm guessing that's a yes?" I said, smiling and blushing at her sudden decision. She then let me go and looked at me with a face of happiness.

"Y-yes! Thank you! Thank you so much!" she said happily with a smile. She then tried to hand me the handkerchief.

"Keep it." I replied. "I got plenty at home." I point towards the main gate of Inkopolis. "Ok. My house is that way. Follow me."

I got off the bench and she did the same. And together, we both started walking towards my house. I took the time to notice her… unfresh clothes. I'm gonna need to get her some new clothes as the ones she has look very worn and dirty… But what I wanna know is why she's like that, but it looks like I won't be getting the answer to that question anytime soon…

Oh that's right! I never introduced myself yet…

"Hey… I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zack."

"Oh… and I'm… uh…"

Wait I just realized… she doesn't remember her name…

"How about I give you a name that people can refer to you as?"

"… That would be nice. What did you have in mind?"

"Um, let's see… uh… oh! I got one. How about Niko?"

"… Niko?"

"Well if you don't like it, I could think of another one…"

"No… I like it. Thanks Zack."

"No problem… Niko."

She simply giggled and looked forward as we continued to walk. She definitely looks a lot happier now that she has a name and home and I'm glad she feels that way…

But… how are we gonna help her get her memories back? Is there a cure? Will she just remember in time? Ugh… the more I think about it… the more impossible it seems… But I'm not gonna go back on what I said. Nothing is impossible. Improbable, unlikely, difficult, but not impossible.

Niko… I promise you'll get your memories back one way or another…

… I just hope Jerry won't mind her staying.

 **Author's Note: And with that, the first chapter of this story is over. Expect chapters within 2 weeks to a month. I am currently aiming to make this story at least 30k words long but it will likely be longer than that depending on how it goes. Thank you for reading my story and please, if you want to stay updated, follow/favorite the story. I greatly appreciate reviews as well. Once again, thank you for reading, and look forward to chapter 2. Oh and also... I do not own Splatoon in any way whatsoever. Just pointing that out.**

 **See Yas :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Introductions

**Author's Note: Ok… some of you might be wondering where the heck I was this past month… Well blame college midterms. I'm going to try to get the next chapter out sooner this time. My apologies for the long wait and many thanks to the people who followed and favorited my fanfic. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please, if you enjoyed this chapter, drop a review.**

Chapter 2: Introductions

 **Zack's POV**

As we kept walking, I noticed a few things…

One, Niko was looking around very strangely like before, except it seems more like she's amazed rather than frightened. She would look at the various signs and billboards we passed as we walk down the rather quiet street. My guess is because she has no idea where she is.

Eventually, me and Niko stopped walking as we reached our destination. A wide brown two story house with a medium sized lawn that has various lawn decorations such as squid gnomes, and flowers of mostly warm colors.

"This is it Niko."

"Wow…it looks nice."

Honestly… it's not very special. It's just an average house on the street just like all the others. Maybe the decorations look nice but… whatever.

We then walked up the steps and into the house after I unlocked the door. We walk into the living room which looks just the same as ever.

A couch on one side, a large television on the opposite side, some pictures of me, my family, Jerry and his family all of which were placed on the brown colored walls, A loveseat next to the couch, and a large table in the middle of the room. The chandelier on top looked nice as always, and the carpet flooring felt as comfy as ever. Niko was looking around the room in amazement and wonder, something of which I kinda expected her to do and I won't lie, I do kinda like how the living room is now.

"Yo Zack! Is that you?" Jerry said from the kitchen.

"Yeah it's me. Hey uh… we need to talk about something."

"Why? What's wrong? Did something hap-" He cut himself off as he walked in the room and saw Niko. I can already tell he's confused as to why I decided to bring home a random girl and I would have done the same in his shoes.

"Niko. Please sit down. I need to talk to Jerry in private." She nods and goes to sit on the couch and I leave my newly bought gear besides her along with my inkbrush which I kept in my… uh… secret compartment. I then walked into the kitchen with Jerry to explain what happened.

"… Ok so who's the girl and what's up with her face? Did she get into a fight or something?" He whispered to me in a slightly worried tone.

"Right about that…Well it all started after I went to the Booyah Base to get some new gear…" I explained to him about what happened earlier. About how I found her crying, her being unable to remember anything, and how I wanted to help her. As I kept describing the events, Jerry started to become more and more saddened and horrified by what I was saying.

"Oh my cod… that's gotta suck for her. I don't know what I would have done if I were in her shoes…"

"Yeah. And I really didn't want to leave her there all alone and helpless… ya know? It's just not right man…" Jerry simply smiled at my statement.

"Zack your way too kind sometimes. And I do agree with you on the whole "we can't leave her alone" thing. But here's my next question. Where is she gonna live?"

"Right… uh… I kinda… well…"

Jerry chuckles lightly at my stuttering.

"Let me guess… you want her to stay here for now?"

I guess it looked a little obvious…

"I just don't want her living in the streets…or the homeless shelter for that matter. I heard some really weird stories about that place, and since she has no memory, it would probably be even harder for her to live there."

"Hmm…" He merely stated.

"Jerry, I'm asking you as my best friend… please let her stay here for now." I start to feel a little scared.

"… Well dude… I understand that you want to help her and honestly, I want to help too but… well I'm not exactly sure…"

Damn… I had a bad feeling he would say something like that…

"Jerry… what would you have done in my shoes?"

He looks up, questioning my statement. After what seemed like an hour, he finally looked back at me.

"Jerry?"

"… I won't lie… I would have probably done the same thing." He smiled.

"So does that mean?"

He emits a small chuckle. Jerry stop laughing.

"She can stay… for now… But if she's going to be living here, she needs to help out around the house in some way or another."

I breathe a sigh of relief to which he laughed at… Jerry enough with the laughing…

"Hey! I was worried for a second there that you would say no!" I say to him.

"Hahaha. Dude, I'm not gonna be that guy. Besides, you're right about the shelter. I went there once to see someone and it had some very strange inklings living in it. The streets aren't exactly the safest place either, so yeah. She can stay."

"Oh thank cod. You had me worried there for a sec Jerry."

"Did I? Sorry dude. It's just that this is all so sudden ya know? But it's cool with me. Anyway, I want to meet her."

"Sure. She's in the living room." We both started to walk into the living room to see Niko looking at us curiously.

Jerry decides to walk up to her and properly introduce himself to her.

"Um…who are you?" Niko asks Jerry.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jerry. I'm 16 years old and this is my home."

I coughed to get his attention.

"Right… Me and Zack's home. We're roommates. So Zack here told me a bit about you. Apparently you're suffering from memory loss is that correct?"

She nods at him.

"Well, me and Zack here are going to help you out. Stick with us and you'll have your memories back in no time." He smiled at her, to which she smiled back at him.

"Th-thank you so much." She said.

"However, there is a bit of a catch. If you're going to live here, you're going to have to do some kind of contribution. Nothing major, just help out around the house."

"Okay… I don't mind. Thank you."

"No problem…now I can tell you look rather hungry. Thankfully, I made a little too much spaghetti today so… want to join us?"

"I would love to but… well I'm not exactly sure what spaghetti is…"

"Well I think it would be better if you tried it yourself. But before we do that, we need to do something about those bruises." I said to her.

She then looks at me with a puzzled look on her face.

* * *

 **Niko's POV**

It stings…

I know it's going to make my bruises go away…

But Ow! That stung pretty badly. Thankfully it's not as painful as it was earlier but it still kinda stings. I sat in the kitchen table waiting for this... spayghetti I think it's called? I honestly have no idea what it was but from the look on Zack's face and his enthusiasm, it must sound pretty delicious.

Eventually, Jerry sets a plate of hot thin noodles with some kind of red… ink? on them with a piece of cheesy bread next to it in front of me, along with a fork, and a cup full of some kind of juice.

"Well here it is. One of my family recipes. I hope you enjoy it." He said happily. I look at Zack only to see him already tearing into the spayghetti. Is it really that good?

"Nikho! You gotta try this! It's amazing!" He… said? I couldn't hear what he was saying since he had a mouth full of noodles…

Jerry went over to tell him something about manners at the dinner table and to scold him. Meanwhile, I stare at the ink covered noodles and, with my fork, I use it to lift some of the noodles and place them gently into my mouth…

It's… IT'S...

…

I don't know how to describe it… its heavenly…

"Niko…"

Fantastic…

"Niko?"

I want to eat more… and MORE! AND-

"Niko!" I immediately snapped out of my trance and look over to Zack and Jerry, slightly embarrassed.

"So… do you like it or…" Jerry questioned.

…

"It's… AMAZING! The noodles are so soft, and this red ink just makes the flavor so tasty!" It just is. I have no idea what he put in it. Heck, I barely know what this is but it's just so good!

"Uh… Thank you very much for your enthusiasm? I'm quite surprised that my cooking is that good to you… and that's not ink. It's my homemade spaghetti sauce." He affirmed.

"Dude. I tell you all the time that you're cooking's awesome." Zack said to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah but… I was just surprised she enjoyed it…"

"Hahaha. Then be happy that she's enjoying it!"

I wasn't paying attention after that. I just kept on eating the spayghetti that was on my plate until eventually, it was bare. Zack and Jerry finished theirs's afterwards.

"Thank you so much for that spayghetti. It was really good."

"Yeah that was an awesome meal Jerry." Zack added.

"Well I'm glad you two enjoyed it. By the way Niko is spaghetti not spayghetti. Now Zack could you help me clean up? You do the dishes and sweep the floor and I'll put away any leftovers."

"Alright. I got it." Zack said. He then went over next to the fridge to pick up a broom with a dustpan on it.

I don't want to feel like a freeloader, so I should help out as well.

"Um… What should I do?" I ask. Jerry and Zack look over at me, puzzled.

"Uh… You know what, since you complimented my meal so well, you don't have to do anything tonight." Jerry said to me.

"Are you sure? I don't want to feel like I'm being a freeloader…"

"It's fine. You can go ahead and relax in the living room."

"If you say so… Thank you." I walked into the living room and sat on the couch that I sat on earlier. It's very comfy…

I look in front of me and see a little black device that had a bunch of numbers and buttons on it. It said Fish Network on the bottom of it. I pick up the device and further examined it. I accidentally press the button that said power and suddenly to my surprise, the black screen in front of me showed me an image. It showed two inkling girls, one of which had a black and green outfit on with silver hair that was held in a rather different hairstyle than most inkling girls, while the other was dressed in a black and pink outfit and had black hair with pink tips at the ends of her tentacles. Both of them had these yellow eyes unlike any other inkling eye I've seen…

"Hold onto your tentacles…" the black haired one said.

"It's Inkopolis news time!" The white haired one finished.

"I see you're watching the news." I look to my right to see Zack who proceeded to sit next to me. Perhaps he knows who these girls are.

"Hey, who are they?" I say to him as I point at the screen.

"Oh uh… they're known as the Squid Sisters. They're the hottest pop stars of Inkopolis, and the newscasters as well. The black haired one is named Callie and the white haired one is called Marie."

Callie and Marie…

"They sound… interesting."

"Yeah. They're very popular. Callie is the peppy and happy one, and Marie is the bored but sassy one, but don't worry, from what I hear, she's nice."

So a duo of pop stars…

Hm…

"You alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm fine. Thanks." But something about them bugs me…

"And as always…" Callie said.

"Stay fresh!" They both said while doing some sort of strange pose. The TV then showed some other images of various things which Zack called commercials.

Eventually it started to get late and Zack guided me to the room where I'll be sleeping in. It was a simple room with a bed on the left side, a small table next to it with a clock on it, and a closet. The bed looked like it hasn't been used in a while but it also looked very comfortable. I go to sit on it to test my theory and…

Already I was getting sleepy…

"Yeah. We haven't had a guest use this room in a while, but for now, you can use it." Zack told me. I observe the room with satisfaction, and gratefulness. I could be out there sleeping in the cold streets but instead, two squids were nice enough to let me into their home, and I couldn't be any more grateful.

"Thank you very much."

"Niko, you said thank you enough times already!"

"But I… I-"

"Heh. It's okay. I know you really mean it. Your welcome." I tucked myself in under the warm covers and got into a comfortable position. As I do that, Zack leaves to the doorway and flicks the light switch off.

"Hey, do you want the door open or closed?" He asked. I could use a little light…

"Keep it cracked please. Good night and… Thank you again…" I yawned, starting to drift to sleep. Zack smiled at me.

"Good night Niko. See you in the morning." He leaves the room and leaves the door cracked…

 **Author's Note: By compartment, I meant hammer space. Just pointing that out.**


	3. Chapter 3: Mother?

**Author's Note: Sigh… I did it again… Sorry. To be honest, I was kind of lazy over my break to write this. But that doesn't mean I haven't been working on the story. I did brainstorm some ideas for this story and now I can say that it will be better then what I had initially planned for it. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and this time, I will try to get the next chapter done sooner. How soon? Hopefully not in 3 months…**

Chapter 3: Mother?

 **Niko's POV**

…

Huh? Where am I?

I take a quick look at my surroundings but all I see is darkness…

I remember meeting Zack and Jerry, and how they let me stay at their home, but why am I here now?

Maybe I'm just having a weird dream?

"…-u…"

What was that? Was that a voice? It sounds... Soothing...

"…-will alw-…"

I couldn't make out what the voice was saying. Maybe I should call out to it?

"Hello? Is anyone out there?" I called out to the darkness… no response…

I then see a light from far away, but something about it seemed… off… It was a bright orange color…

And then... Everything went white...

Suddenly, I jolted up from my bed. I take a quick notice on my surroundings only to see the familiar room that I have slept in.

"So it was a dream… But what was it about? Was it a nightmare? It certainly didn't feel like one that's for sure… But it sure was weird..."

Maybe it was just a weird dream. I look over at the clock on the table to see that it's 7:48 AM. I lifted the covers off of my bed and got up to stretch. I wonder what will happen today… Perhaps I should go downstairs.

* * *

As I walk downstairs into the living room, I smell something very delicious, and hear a sizzling sound. I'm not too sure what the smell is, but it seems to be coming from the kitchen, so I decided to go in there and I find Jerry at the stove area, cooking some sort of meat strip in a pan. He quickly notices my presence.

"Oh hey, Niko. You're early."

"I am?"

"Yeah. Zack on the other hand just loves to sleep in. Usually, he gets up at around 9 in the morning, but sometimes he'll sleep for a few extra minutes... Or hours..."

"Really? Is that so?"

"Yup… I'm cooking breakfast. There's a plate of eggs over on the table for you." Jerry then pointed at a plate on the table. It had some yellow peices of food on it with what appears to be meat mixed in them. Next to them were two peices of... Burnt bread?... And next to the plate was a tall glass of orange juice. I eagerly sat in the chair, and picked up the fork. I wonder what this food will taste like...

I use my fork and picked up some of the 'eggs'. I then placed them in my mouth...

...

It's about as good as last night's dinner! Such flavor! And the meat only makes it better.

"Mmmm... Oohh, these eggs are delicious!" I exclaimed a bit loudly.

"Really now... Well I'm glad you're enjoying them. Hey by the way, later on Zack is going to take you to Inkopolis to give you a proper introduction to the city. We're pretty sure you have no idea how the city works considering your amniesa and all..."

Oh that's right. I have absolutely no idea what's in that city... Sans a few things like the main gate and that big tower with the huge creature on it. But then again I know nothing about the tower or the creature itself. I then nodded at him.

"Well don't worry, Zack will take care of you. I'd go with you guys but I gotta meet up with my mother later, so I'll be busy."

… Mother…

With that word said, suddenly, worry began to enter my mind. What if I have a mother out there wondering where her daughter is? Wait… what if I don't even have a mother?

Uugh… this is hurting my head…

No… I need to calm down. I must have a mother or someone from my past out there looking for me. Until then, all I can do now is wait for my memory to return.

"Hey Niko?"

I snap back to reality only to see Jerry staring at me. He looks at me with worry in his eyes.

"You alright? You went quiet for a little bit there..."

"Uhh… Yeah I'm fine. So I gotta wait till Zack gets up right?" I decide not to talk to him about the possibilities involving my mother. Maybe later, I'll ask Zack but for now, I'm going to try to not let it get to me. Perhaps I'm just overthinking all of this…

* * *

After I ate my breakfest, Jerry and I went to the living room to wait until Zack woke up. After sitting down on the couch, Jerry decided to turn on that device known as the television and on it, he was 'fipping through the channels' to see what was on. While he was doing so, I caught a glimpse of those two girls Zack showed me yesterday known as the Squid Sisters.

I don't know why, but something about them is bugging me... Why is that?

Nevertheless, we waited about two hours before Zack came in the room, his morning clothing wrinkled. He yawned out loud and stretched.

"Morning Jerry. Morning Niko." We both said morning back at him. He then sat down on the couch with us.

"You're breakfast is on the stove by the way." Jerry said to Zack.

"Thanks man. So, anything good on or..." Zack then looked at me, or rather, my clothing...

"Oh... Right... Uh... I'm not trying to be rude but, you're gonna need some new clothing... And a shower." Zack left the couch and went upstairs.

After about ten minutes or so, he came back down with clean clothing in his hands, and handed me a black shirt with some grey letters on it and black shorts... And a fresh pair of female underwear and a bra... Um...

"You know where the bathroom is right? I nod. "Good. Now, do you know how a shower works by any chance?"

"... Weirdly enough, yes. Huh... Wait..." My eyes widen in surprise. "I remembered something!"

"Hey look at that, you're remembering stuff already! Phew. good thing too, because I think teaching you something like that would feel a little awkward."

"What do you mean by that?" I say back to him, confused.

"Well... Uh... It's nothing. Never mind. Now go on."

A smile forms on my face. I am remembering stuff. It's not my memories though... Well remembering something minor like that seems to be a good sign. Maybe there is hope after all.

"Now when you take your clothing off, leave it out in front of the door so I can take it and wash it for you okay?" I once again nod and take the clothes with me up to the bathroom.

Still... What is up with those girls? Maybe I should ask him about that later... As well as why he has these female undergarments...

* * *

 **Zack's POV**

After Niko went in the bathroom, she left her clothing and unmentionables outside the door like I told her. I took them and placed them in the washer alongside the load I needed to wash earlier. After turning it on, I went upstairs to get dressed for later. I decided to wear the green tee I bought yesterday and some familiar black shorts. After getting dressed, I go back to the living room where I found Jerry watching his usual favorites...

Cartoons...

"So uh, whatcha watching there Jerry?"

"This super old cartoon called Courage the Cowardly Dog. Apparently it was made by humans a long time ago. It's very... Well weird..."

I look at the television screen. I can see why he would say that. A pink dog being able to talk? That's ridiculous! Them again Judd can do the same but still...

"So they found more ancient cartoons huh?"

"Yup! They found that, and that Squid Girl anime a while ago. They're finding a lot of them these days. In fact, just a half hour ago, I was watching another one they found called Invader Zim. That one was kinda messed up though... But the little robot was pretty funny…

Jerry just kept on rambling and rambling about these cartoons as I sat down to watch the television. But then suddenly, Jerry stopped and looked at me, his eyes staring at me with some form of worry…

"So about Niko..."

I start to feel a little worried myself… It's usually never good when Jerry looks at me like that...

"What about Niko?"

"Well, I'm a little worried about her. Do you think she'll be fine?"

That's all you're worried about? "Of course. Remember, I'm gonna be with her to make sure she's fine."

"No what I mean is, earlier before you woke up, Niko came into the kitchen. I gave her some eggs and I was telling her about how you were gonna take her later to give her a proper tour of the city. I mentioned my plans to see mother and then she went silent..."

"Did she say anything afterwards?"

"No. She went silent after I mentioned mom. But I talked to her after and she said she was ok… I don't know man…"

Could Niko be curious or perhaps worried about her own mother? Does she even have one? I ponder at this but it doesn't seem like I'll be getting any answers about that until she regains her memories…

"Hmm… I think Niko might have been wondering about her own mother…" I say to Jerry, his face shifting to sadness.

"Oh… That makes sense… Sorry dude. I-"

"It's all good Jerry. It's not your fault. Tell you what? I'll talk to her later about that for ya then. Ok? You could make a nice dinner later as an apology."

I saw that familiar smile on Jerry's face again as he shifted right back to his usual personality.

"Alright. You can count on me dude. Thanks. I just don't want to see her sad ya know? I hate to see friends sad."

"Yeah. I wouldn't want to see her sad either. Don't worry. I'll talk to her. So what's this cartoon about exactly?"

* * *

After about a half hour or so, Niko came back into the room wearing the clothing I gave her. Me and Jerry both took notice and she sat back down on the couch.

"Wow. You look pretty fresh in those clothes Niko." I say to her.

"Thanks. They're also very comfy, and surprisingly fit well. Where'd you get them?"

Oh thank cod they fit her well. That was the one thing I was worried about when it came to the clothing.

"Well, the shirt and shorts were actually mine. But I don't need them anymore so you can have them." She then beamed at me a bigger smile than before.

"Th-thank you! I promise, I won't ruin them."

"You're welcome Niko. But there's something else you might need." I go into the hall closet next to the entrance to the house and find a pair of pink trainers. I also grab a pair of white socks and closed the closet, shoes and socks in hand. I then walk back over to Niko and give her the footwear.

"Here. Try these on." I tell her. She then proceeds to do just that and puts the socks and sneakers on with little effort, except for the laces. I guess she doesn't know how to tie shoes. Probably due to her amnesia. Regardless, I tied them for her. I'll teach her how to tie on her own later if I must.

"Well, look at that, perfect fit." I said glancing at her shoes. They looked pretty good on her, and they even matched her hair color. "Do they feel tight on you?"

She shakes her head.

"Well good. They're yours now."

"Re… Really? But don't yo-"

"Relax, I don't need those anyway. I got plenty of other shoes... Actually..." I go back to the closet real quick and opened it, Niko following me as I go. I look inside and find a Takoroka mesh cap. I grabbed it and closed the closet door. We then walked to the wall mirror in the hall and I hand her the cap.

"Try this on real quick." I say to her as she proceeds to do so. She then glances over the mirror. I also take a quick notice on her face and saw that the bruises have healed up pretty well to the point where you can see pretty much nothing.

"Wow! It looks really good on me!"

"Okay then. You can keep that as well. I don't need it. I just thought it would look good on yo-" She then suddenly hugs me… tightly…

"Ugh… Niko… Choking. Not breathing…"

She then lets me go as I gasp for breath. Jeez this girl has quite the hug…

"heheh… sorry…" She said, blushing slightly…

"It's okay. You're only being thankful. And I can tell you look pretty excited for the tour." She nods happily.

"Well good. If you want we can go now."

She nods again.

"Alright then. Let's go." I walk towards the front door and opened it, Niko being right behind me.

"Bye Jerry! We'll be back in about a few hours or so." I said as Niko waved at him, who waved back at us.

"Alright. You two be careful out there ok?" I nod back at him, and we both left to the good ole city of Inkopolis. I look over at Niko and saw her smiling and happily walking. Despite her amneisa crisis, I'm glad she's much better now...

But still... What about her mother?

 **Author's Note: I'll stop the chapter here. It was gonna be longer but I decided to stop it here. Why? Well I felt that you guys deserved a little update on the story. Oh and also, I made a cover image! (you can find out more about it on my bio) Yay! It's not too fancy but hey, it's something. Anyways, Niko seems to be remembering some stuff now, and in the next chapter, she'll get a proper tour on the city, and maybe, I'll include a little fluff... But what about her possible mother? And what's up with that weird dream? The answers to those questions will come soon... If you liked this chapter or want to give your thoughts on it, then go ahead, and drop a review. But until then, I will see you guys next chapter.**

 **See yas... and again, sorry for the wait. :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Turf War? What's that?

**Author's Note: Alright. Here's Chapter 4 for you all. See? Much sooner than last time! It still took a while due to college and all of that, but on the bright side, I finally got a Wii U and Splatoon. And so far, I'm enjoying it… even though I lost my first splatfest… ah well.**

 **Anyways, enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 4: Turf War? What is that?

 **Niko's POV**

After about a good ten to fifteen minutes of walking, we entered the city. As we enter, I start to notice how big it was. Tall buildings were everywhere, cars (as Zack calls them at least) were moving down the roads at fast speeds, and little shops were lined up as we walked down towards the main plaza. As we kept walking, I saw giant pictured walls on some of the buildings depicting the Squid Sisters in their usual pose. I even saw one on some kind of flying vehicle in the sky.

"Wow… I didn't think the Squid Sisters were that popular."

"Well yeah. Niko, I wasn't kidding when I said that they were literally everywhere." Zack said to me. But still, something about them is bugging me… why? Why is it-

"Hey look! There's the main plaza!" Zack interrupted, pointing to the plaza gate. Well that was pretty quick. We both walk through the gate and were greeted to the giant tower with the Great Zapfish. Zack told me that the Great Zapfish is a giant zapfish that powers the city and that was apparently stolen and was brought back here by an inkling who is only known as Agent 3. Wonder who stole it in the first place?

Regardless, Zack guides me over to the shops near where he first found me.

"So this here is the Booyah Base. This is the place where you can buy all sorts of clothing and weapons here."

"Weapons? Why?" I was confused. For what reason would this city need weapons for?

"Oh right, I never told you about turf wars." Now I'm even more curious. Turf war? There are wars in this city?

"Um… What is a turf war?" He then guides me over to the giant screen next to the tower. It was showing some inklings, who look like they were fighting with paint guns of some sort.

"Allow me to tell you the basics of a Turf War. It is a 4 vs 4 sport where you use ink shooting weapons to cover the floor in your team color's ink. You have 3 minutes to cover the floor and if your team covers more ground in their than the opponent team's ink, you win."

It sounds very strange… but something about it also sounded kinda fun at the same time.

"Anything else about it?"

"You have access to different weapons, such as a Splattershot, which is a basic shooter weapon that shoots ink rapidly and is good for beginners. Then there's the Paint Roller, which you can use to cover the turf very fast and efficiently. And then there's the Splat Charger, which is mainly used for splatting foes…"

"Splatting?"

"Right uh, if you damage an inkling on the opposite team with your weapon enough, they will burst into your color ink, and will be temporarily off of the map. They will join back in in about a few seconds or so, and they can do the same to you."

That sounds kinda scary…

"Does getting splatted hurt? It looks and sounds painful." I look over on the screen and wince as I saw a blue colored inking splatting an orange colored inkling with some sort of brush weapon.

"Uh. Actually no. Maybe for a moment, but trust me on this. After you get splatted, and when you respawn, you will feel as if nothing happened."

"Oh… Ok then." I say with relief.

"You also gain money regardless of whether you win or lose, and you could make a living off of this if you're devoted enough. You can also rank up as well."

"Rank up?"

"Oh right. As you participate in turf wars, you can rank up what we call your freshness level, or "coolness" level. You start off at level 1, and you're given a Splattershot Jr. to start with. As you level up, you gain access to more weapons and clothing in the Booyah Base. Speaking of which, come on, I'll show you the various shops in the Booyah Base now." He then guides me to the small shop on the left with an orange door, and various shoe related items on display…

Turf wars… Something about it is making me want to participate in it… And it sounds kind of exciting...

Oh who am I kidding? It sounds very exciting! Perhaps I could participate in one in the future, but for now, the Booyah Base...

* * *

Zack first took me to a shop called Shrimp Kicks, where they sell the shoes. In there, there was a creature named Crusty Sean, a prawn, and the owner of the shop. He was wearing a bunch of different shoes on his multiple feet, a purple beanie, and some kind of tempura coat… that's a little morbid if you ask me… But when Zack introduced me to him, he was very nice, even offering me and Zack a deal, but Zack turned it down since we weren't there to shop. The shop itself was kind of spacey, but not exactly big. Just some shoes lined up on the blue colored walls. Then again, it didn't look very big from the outside…

Next was Jelly Fresh, the place where you could get your favorite shirts and the owner there was called Jelonzo, a blue jellyfish wearing a purple cap, a black scarf with blue dots, and a white shirt with a pink circle design of some sort. While he too was very nice, I had a very time hard trying to understand him. Zack later explained to me that all jellyfish speak a different language for their kind and that Jelonzo is trying to learn our language. His shop was almost like Crusty Sean's except… well… it sold shirts instead of shoes. Its colors were more of a white and purple instead of blue as well.

Next was a shop called Cooler Heads, and here, the shop's owner was a pink eyed sea anemone named Annie. She was wearing a pink, blue and yellow checkered jacket, some headphones, and a black star accessory in her pink hair with light green tips. Annie was a very quiet girl, and was very sweet upon meeting her… then came this clownfish named Moe, and… well he apparently isn't very nice because when he showed up in Annie's hair and up until we left the store, Moe was dishing out all sorts of insults, some of which almost made me feel kind of angry… stupid fish. Her store was cool though. All of those hats and glasses on the orange colored shelves looked cool… but I don't want any. I already have a cool hat…

Regardless, we then went into the weapons store called Ammo Knights, and there I met the horseshoe crab named Shelldon, who was pretty short, and was wearing a helmet, yellow goggles, and a military outfit of some sort. He too was a nice fellow, much more then that stupid fish. I look around the store and see loads of different weaponry, some being splattershots, some rollers, some chargers, and some kind of bucket… huh. I also saw a huge gun with multiple holes on the end, and a tank of some sort on it. I have no idea what it was, but it looked very heavy to carry…

After the meetings at the Booyah Base, Zack then took me to the area opposite to the Booyah Base, where apparently, you can see the Squid Sisters when they aren't performing or news casting. But that wasn't where we went. Instead, we went to a nearby… machine of some sort and put some coins in the slot. He then pushed a few buttons and out came two wrapped bars of… something…

"How about a little snack? I'm pretty sure you might like chocolate." He said to me as he handed me this object called chocolate. It was a hard brown bar that looked like it could be broken into smaller parts. I decide to take the bar and take a bite into this chocolate…

... It's so sweet… and tasty. I feel my mouth curve into a smile as I let the sweet taste of this chocolate overtake my taste buds…

"You look like you're enjoying it." Zack said, beaming a smile at me. I am.

"Oh yes! What is it that makes this stuff so good?"

"Heck if I know. But I know that it makes for a great snack." I finish my chocolate and threw the leftover wrapping in a nearby trash can. Zack then guides me towards an empty bench. He and I sat down in it and then he looked at me with a look of worry…

"Ok, I want to ask you a few things. First, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why? What's wrong?"

It's just that… well Jerry told me earlier that you went quiet after he mentioned his mother. Is something wrong?" My face slowly shifts into one of sadness…

Oh no. I was hoping Jerry didn't notice…

"Well… It's just that… I'm worried about my own mother…"

"I had a feeling…" he said softly.

"I mean, do I even still have one? Is she even looking for me?" Zack looks at me worriedly.

"Niko…"

Wh-what if I have a friend or family member out there wh-who's looking for me, o-o-or is wondering where I'm at now? W-what if I d-don't even have any friends? What if… What if…" My body starts to shake in worry and fear as I quiver over this, and my eyes start to feel wet with tears… but then, I felt a hand on my shoulder and look over to see that it's Zacks. Somehow, his gesture calmed me down a bit…

"Niko… I'm going to be completely honest with you. We can't answer those questions right now because of your amnesia… But you shouldn't think negatively about those kind of things. And Niko, I mean it when I say that I will help you get your memories back. I can promise you that… But please… I don't want you to think negatively about those things. I'm pretty sure that there is someone out there who's looking for you, and loves or cares for you, but we won't know that until we cure your amnesia. Until then, all we can do is hope for the best… and consider this, you already have a few friends who care for you…"

"Wh… Who?"

"What? Silly… me and Jerry!"

My eyes widen at this. F-Friends...? "We're… friends?"

"Well… yeah." He smiles a familiar smile at me.

"But… but… isn't it too soon to declare that?"

"Uh… No. I think a day can be enough to declare a friendship. Heck, I think you can make friends in under an hour."

…

Friends…

Just saying that word feels so… good… but also… foreign…

Regardless, I smile at that fact. Yeah… maybe I don't know yet if someone out there is wondering where I am or looking for me, but at least I have a few people who I can call a friend…

"Thanks Zack. That… made me feel better. Ok then. I'll try not to think too much about that then… at least not in a negative way." Zack then smiles and takes his hand off of me. I look over at a nearby Squid Sisters poster which reminds me of something. "But… there is something that's been bugging me recently…" He then looks at me with curiosity.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's about the Squid Sisters. Every time I look at them, something about them is just bugging me. And no, I don't hate them or anything like that. It's just… whenever I look at them… Something just… goes off in my head but I don't know what it is…"

"Huh… that sounds very odd… My guess is that you were maybe a big fan of them before your amnesia?"

"That could be it… but I don't know… somehow, I don't think that's the answer… and also, the one in pink, Callie I think her name was... Something about her stands out to me more than the green one… also, I had a dream last night where I heard a voice… I couldn't make out what the voice was saying, but it sounded somewhat soothing… Ugh… my head hurts from all this thinking…" Zack ponders at this for a second as I relax my head from all that thinking…

"What happened next in the dream?"

"Well, I saw an orange light but something about it felt weird… then I woke up."

"So you heard a voice, saw an orange light, and then woke up."

I nod.

"… Did that voice sound familiar to you at all?"

"Now that you mention it… maybe a little… but I'm not sure…"

"Perhaps… maybe it's from someone you knew?" A small smile forms on my face.

"Maybe…"

After that, we go back to the Squid Sisters thing. We both ponder at this as well but ultimately, we couldn't come up with any real possibilities other than, that I was a fan of both of them, and that Callie was my favorite of the duo… but even then, that doesn't sound like it would be the correct answer…

"… How about we try thinking about this another time? I don't think we're going to get any real answers now. Actually, are you interested in participating in turf wars?"

"It does sound and look fun…" Honestly, I really want to go into one right now!

"Well if you want to participa-"

"Yes!" I yelled excitedly, startling Zack. I couldn't hold my excitement in any longer.

"Whoa Niko, calm down. You don't even have a coin card yet!"

"Coin card?"

"I'll explain that later. But right now, I'd say you should train. You don't have too though. We could just go right to the tower if you want." I really do wanna jump right into a turf war…

But at the same time, I could really use some training to understand the sport a bit…

"I think I should train first… But where am I going to train at?" He thinks about this for a bit, then he looks like he has an idea.

"Well, I know of a place…"

* * *

"Welcome to the battle dojo." He said to me. I look at the building known as the "Battle Dojo", which had a giant sign with the phrase '1vs1' on it. It looked rather small however…

"Battle dojo?"

"Yes. It's a place where you can 1v1 someone in a different kind of mode we like to call balloon battle. I think it can be a good place to train."

"Wow... wait… who will I be battling, and what's this 'balloon battle' mode?"

"Oh… Well you use whatever weapon you wish to use from the selected list to pop the most balloons in a time limit of five minutes. Each balloon is worth one point and if you have more points than your opponent in the end, you win. And you're going to be battling me."

"Wh-what? You?" I exclaimed in surprise. I don't want to accidently hurt him… then again, he did say that this sport is harmless…

"Yeah. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. And remember what I said earlier. You don't get hurt or die here. It's safe." He reassures me with a smile.

I smile back at him. We then walked into the building which to my surprise, was actually quite spacious. The walls were an orange color, and there was a desk with a female inkling behind it at the left of the room who I'm going to assume is a receptionist. Her hair and eye color was an orange color, and was wearing a black dress suit that contradicts her white skin. There were also two doors, both of which were next to the receptionist's desk. Speaking of her, she notices our presence.

"Hello there! Are you two here to participate in a 1vs1 match? We currently have a spot open right now." She says to us with a cheery tone. Zack steps in front of me and walks up to the receptionist.

"Yes we are. Could you set us up in that open spot?" He says.

"Sure thing. Just give me a sec." The receptionist then presses some buttons on a device with a screen on it in front of her. After about a half a minute or so, she looks back at us.

"Alright, you two are all set! Step into one of the doors next to me, pick a weapon, a map, and step into the teleporters. You have 1 hour of play time. Have fun!"

"Thank you very much. Come on Niko." He said as I follow Zack into one of the rooms. The room itself was a white colored room that had eight different weapons on a shelf to the left of the room, and two devices, one colored blue, the other orange (which I guess are the teleporters) to the right of the room. In-between the teleporters was a tall device with a little screen on it and a few buttons. Not sure what it's for though…

"You go ahead and choose the weapon you want. I'll set up the teleporters." I go over to the shelf with the weapons on it. I look up and down, and the weapon that caught my attention was the Splattershot, which Zack told me was the basic weapon for turf wars. Perhaps this weapon would be good for a beginner like me. I grab the weapon and the ink tank that comes with it.

"Ok Zack. I got my weapon." I said.

"Alright then." He says as he walk towards me. He notices my weapon of choice.

"Oh. You're going with the classic Splattershot?"

"Yeah. I figured that since I'm a newbie, the Splattershot would be a good weapon to train with."

"Well ok then. Here let me put that tank on for ya." Zack goes up to me and equips the ink tank to the Splattershot, then fastens the tank onto my back.

"There you go. All set." He says as he grabs the Splat Roller weapon and its tank.

"Thank you… so… I just go onto one of the teleporters?"

"Yep. Go ahead. Pick which color suits you." I decide on the orange color, and walk towards that teleporter. Zack does the same with the blue teleporter.

"Ok then. Ready?" I grip my Splattershot, and smile with excitement.

"Ready!"

"Then let's get started shall we?" He says. He then pushes a button on the tall device and suddenly, an orange flash blinds my sight…

 **Author's Note: Ok. Chapter 4 down. Next chapter will be Niko's training in the battle dojo. So why did I pick the battle dojo? Well I figured why not? It barely gets represented in most Splatoon fanfiction (at least in the ones I've read) which don't get me wrong, isn't a bad thing, but I wanted to give the mode a little love. Sure it's lacking in some areas, but hey, it's there.**

 **Anyways, Does Niko have a connection with the Squid Sisters? Or was she simply just a big fan of them? Maybe you'll get an answer in Chapter 5, or maybe not, but you'll definitely get an answer soon. But until next time…**

 **See yas. :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Time for some training!

**Author's Note: Apologies for the wait. Oh and also, 1000 views! Yay!**

 **Also, if you haven't yet, check out Splatoon Amino app! Splatoon Amino is a community of various Splatoon fans from all across the world who do various splatoon related things such as share art, share videos, chat, play Splatoon together, and more. If you're a Splatoon fan and you're looking for some squids to hang with, Splatoon Amino is a good place for that. :)**

 **Alright. Here is Chapter 5. Enjoy.**

Chapter 5: Time for some training!

 **Niko's POV**

After the orange flash of light, I look around to see that I was in some sort of arena. I look over to see various round ramps, half pipes, and bowls within the area, as well as some drawings on the walls, floors, and some nearby boxes. I also saw that my tentacles had changed from a magenta color to an orange color!

"I hope this isn't permanent." I said as I gaze at this odd change. After a bit, I see Zack walking towards me.

"Welcome to Blackbelly Skatepark." He said to me. A skate park huh? I'm guessing that would explain all the ramps, and bowls...

"So um… Where are the balloons?" I questioned. Isn't the objective to shoot the balloons? If so, where are they?

"They'll come in a second, but while we wait, why not try to fire that splattershot you got there? Just aim… over there." He points over to an empty space to my left.

"Ok…" I grip my splattershot carefully and aim it towards where Zack pointed at. I then pressed the trigger and suddenly, the weapon was spraying ink at a fast rate! It took a while, but I was able to gain control over the weapon while shooting it. After a while, I release the trigger, and look at the mess of ink I had made.

"Whoa..."

"Yeah. I had a pretty similar reaction when I first used one too." Suddenly, a few balloons spawn over us. It looks like there's four of them.

"Oh look. There they are. Now use that splattershot and try to shoot the balloons." I aim my splattershot's reticle in front of the balloons and shot all four balloons with no problems. I notice a device over to my left. It had blinking lights, a red button titled "reset." it also showed two names, both of which were orange and blue, and showed a number on the bottom of both, with blue's number being zero, and orange's number at four. My guess is that that device tells us the score…

"Nice. You already got the aiming part down. You're a fast learner Niko." I smile at his response. "So you know how to turn into your squid form right?"

… What?

"Squid form?" I was confused. But suddenly, I remember seeing some Inklings on the screen earlier turning into squids. "I… I think so… but…"

"If you need help, try closing your eyes and think of yourself turning into a squid. Then it should become second nature to you." Zack suggested. I decide to do just that, and close my eyes…

… Suddenly, I found myself as a little orange colored squid. "So this is how being a squid feels like." I said.

"And not only can you turn into a squid, but you can also swim through your own colored ink." He stated. Noting this, I decide to jump into the orange colored ink I sprayed, and swam in it. I notice how fast I was swimming in it as opposed to running on land, and I couldn't help but get a sense of excitement as I was swimming through the ink at high speeds. Eventually, I stop and turn back into inkling form.

"Well you looked like you were enjoying that. Ok. Now let me teach you about splatting your foes."

"Okay..." I say nervously.

"This might come of as a bit morbid, but I want you to take that splattershot and shoot me with it." What!? Is he insane?

"Wha-what!? B-b-but-"

"Niko, I already told you, it won't kill me. It'll just splat me. Don't worry. I'll respawn right after." He says to me with a reassuring smile. "Well… if you say so…" I ready my weapon at Zack and uncomfortably press the trigger. The ink shot right at his body and after about six shots or so, he exploded into an orange mess, his clothes sinking into the ink. A little blue squid ghost floated into the sky, over the remains…

…

… It's ok Niko. It's just like he said. He'll come right back…

…

He isn't back…

"… Oh no… I didn't kill him did I…? I… I didn-"

"Hey Niko." I look over to see Zack, completely alive, and clothed, and making sure not to stand on the orange ink for some reason. What? How is he...?

"H-how did you...?" I was confused, but at the same time relieved that I didn't kill him.

"I told you. I respawned. How does it work? Well, not entirely sure on that. All that you need know is that you don't die at all here." I was speechless. Earlier he was nothing but an orange mess and now, he's standing here as if I never shot him in the first place.

"I… didn't hurt you did I?" I said worryingly.

"Nah, I'm fine. It did sting a little but its ok. The respawn process heals you so fast, it's as if you were never hurt. Didn't I tell you that earlier?"

"I… I think so…" But I can't seem to remember him saying that...

"Eh, it don't matter. You know now. Ok. Now If you want to know how it feels… well…" He readies his roller, and I suddenly realize what he was going to do. I step back in fear.

"Wh-what!? But wait, what if-"

"I promise it won't hurt… much. Don't worry. You're gonna get splatted at some point later anyways, so you might be better off knowing how it feels now." He reassures me with a smile and raises his roller…

"… So I won't die?" I ask nervously.

"Yup. You'll be just fine. Trust me. I won't try to hurt you."

… I decided to trust him, and nervously position myself to get splatted. He swings his roller with blue ink spreading out at my direction. It hits me, and I felt my body sting from pain and explode. A blue color starts to take over my sight…

… After a short second, the blue color changes to an orange color, and then my vision comes back to me. I notice that I was standing on an orange panel. That didn't really hurt as much as I thought it would. And I feel just fine…

"This game is strange sometimes I swear." I say to myself. Soon after, Zack comes over.

"See? It wasn't so bad right?" He said. He's right. I feel completely fine, as if nothing's happened.

"No… It wasn't bad at all. Sorry I got worried there." Zack then puts a hand on my shoulder.

"It's all good Niko… Look, I'll tell you a little secret. When I first started playing turf wars, I was a bit scared of getting splatted too, and even thought I would die."

"You were?"

"Y-yeah… It was a long time ago though. And I was able to get over it real quick. Nothing like that to worry about here." He reassured as his hand left my shoulder. "Ok. now try to stand on the blue ink." I follow his word, and stepped onto the blue ink. Suddenly, I found myself stuck in the ink, and having a hard time trying to move in it. Getting an idea, I spray some ink below me, and found myself able to move again."

"So... I'm not supposed to stand in the blue ink right?" I ask. Perhaps, this was why Zack didn't stand too close to the orange ink earlier...

"Correct. If you do that, then that happens. It's something you need to avoid to win at any of the modes for turf wars, and the game we're currently playing now. That's why you cover the blue ink with your color ink so that you can stand or swim in that area."

"Ok. I got it. Thanks." I tell him.

"No problem. Also, you have your sub weapon right?" I was confused. Sub weapon? We have those?

"Sub weapon?" I questioned.

"Check the side of your ink tank." He ordered. I feel the left side of my ink tank, and find a small white striped uninflated balloon, which suddenly, expands in size! These weapons are weird I swear. But I couldn't help but be impressed.

"That's a burst bomb. A balloon filled with some of your ink from your tank which you throw to either cover turf, or damage opponents. It pops as it makes contact with an object, or person." I examine the balloon bomb, and decide to throw it at an empty spot away from us. It explodes, and covers a small amount of the ground. Interesting...

"Ok. We got that down. Now why don't we restart the match and count this as a practice round?" I nod at him. He goes over to the score board, and places his hand over the red button.

"Ok then. You ready Niko?" I grip my splattershot with determination, and excitement, much like the first time.

"Ready!" He pushes the button. Suddenly, another orange flash blinds my sight…

* * *

After a short second, my vision comes back to me, and I find myself in the same spot I was when I first got here. Only this time, I was ready for action! I hear the bell go off which basically tells me to get going. I see a column of light not too far from me. That must be where the balloons will spawn. I start by spraying some ink on the floor, straight to the spot where the balloons are gonna spawn, and turning into squid form to help get me there faster. I get to the spot but I don't see the balloons anywhere. Or Zack for that matter… where could he be-

"Behind you." I hear. And suddenly, I felt myself get splatted. After a second, I respawn at the orange point from earlier. Feeling a little annoyed that I wasn't ready for a sneak attack, I quickly get back to the spot where I see Zack trying to splat the last few balloons. Perfect. I can get my revenge! I sneak up behind him but not too close, and ready my weapon. I shoot him a few times, and he exploded into a pool of orange, much like last time. I also noticed on the score teller nearby that I gained some points for splatting him, and that he lost some for being splatted.

"Huh. Didn't know I get points for splatting the opponent too…"

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you that. Sorry."

"Oh it's all ok Zac-" I was splatted before I could even finish…

After respawning, I go to the new spot where balloons would appear. This time, they appear at a place near my spawn point. And just as I got there, Zack was there too.

"That last splat was a little unfair don't you think?" I stated, a little upset.

"No… Ok it was kinda unfair. I'm sorry." He said as his face was turning into a apologetic frown. Well he said sorry at least… He then goes back to smiling.

"Anyways, yeah. If you splat the opponent, you get some of their points. Also, at the last minute, the points for balloons go from one to two, so get ready for that as well." He states. "Oh, and, try busting open that crate there with your splattershot. You'll get a random special weapon from it." Special weapon? wonder what that is. Curious as to what he meant, I aim my splattershot at the box, and out pops a… can? What…? Well, maybe perhaps the weapon is in the can. I collect the can, and suddenly, it opens. A rocket of some sort flies out of it into the air and then comes back down… at Zack. Who looks rather surprised at the sight.

"Aw crap…" I hear him say before a towering swirl of orange ink engulfs and splats him.

"… Well that's certainly one heck of a weapon." I notice the balloons appearing, and proceed to pop them for the points. Not too long after, I see Zack coming. Suddenly, I'm hit with an idea. "I'll turn into squid form, and hide and ambush him." I mutter quietly. I then proceed to turn into a squid, and swam away to a spot I sprayed ink at so that he doesn't see me. I hide in the ink and wait till he comes in front of me… There he is! I quickly switch back into inkling form, and proceed to splat him successfully, and pop any remaining balloons left. I continue onwards to the next spawn spot to find another can, this time it formed a bubble of some sort around me. Just as I grabbed it, Zack comes back and hits me with his roller, but I wasn't damaged at all. It only pushed me back a little.

"Ack! Darn bubbler!" He said, annoyed that he wasn't able to damage me with his weapon.

"… So it's a shield." I use this opportunity to quickly splat Zack. I go over to the next spot in the park where the balloons will spawn while doing my little shoot and swim method of getting there. but as I was making my way there, I shot something in the blue ink and it lights up…

"What the-" I was suddenly splatted by an explosion of ink.

"What in the world was that? Some sort of special weapon? was that Zack's? It was covered in blue ink..." I wondered after respawning. I look over to the scoreboard to see that I was at twenty points, and Zack was at fifteen. The timer was at one minute and twenty-one seconds. I smile to myself. I can still win this! I hurry to the spot near Zack's spawn point and saw Zack painting the floor, probably waiting for the balloons to appear. I decide to sneak behind a nearby box without making too much noise and wait until the balloons spawn.

… Wait for it...

Four balloons spawn. And just as Zack started to go in to pop them, I swoop in, and splat him while he was distracted. I then pop the remaining balloons and before I could pop the last one, a whistle stops me, and the balloon disappears… Huh?

"Wow… I really need to start watching my back. Nice job Niko." I look behind me to see Zack standing there with that usual smile on his face.

"Wait… but I didn't pop that last balloon there… Why did I win?"

"Oh right. I never told you that part. If you get to thirty points before the timer runs out, you automatically win… which was what you managed to do thanks to the last minute doubling points, and you splatting me." So that's why the balloon disappeared… Regardless, I was quite happy about my victory, and jumped up in success with a huge "YES!" Zack responded with a thumbs up.

"Oh and also, I wasn't going easy on you or anything like that. I just rarely play this game as I'm more of a turf wars guy. Of course, I learned one thing today. I seriously need to watch my back more often." He laughed. I laugh alongside him. He then stops laughing as he was hit with realization. "But I noticed something. You haven't been using your burst bombs. As impressive as that was, they can really help you out, so don't be afraid to use them."

Oh he's right. I never used them once at all during the round. I forgot I even had them actually...

"I... sorta forgot I had them..." I stated, blushing slightly out of embarrassment...

Zack chuckles. "It's okay. some newcomers, myself included when I was one tend to forget those exist. Now then. Want to go another round?"

* * *

For the rest of the time we were allowed in there, I not only managed to have loads of fun, but I was also able to understand better how the other weapons work, how to avoid them and exploit the users using them all thanks to Zack. Now, I feel even more prepared for turf wars, but like Zack suggested to me earlier, I should train for a while before going in one.

I think out of every weapon I tried during the time there, I found the splattershot to be my favorite. Maybe it's because it was the first weapon I handled, or maybe because I feel the most comfortable with it...

Now, we were back at the house and Zack told me to stay in the room I'm currently staying in, as he had some sort of surprise for me. Another one huh? Well, if he really insists…

About two minutes later, he opens the door with a box in his hands and hands me the box. "I know you'll love it." He said with a smile. Curious, I open the box, and to my surprise, find a splattershot in it.

"I saw that you enjoyed using the splattershot, and well, I had an old one I don't use anymore. So I said to myself, why not give it to Niko? You could use it for your first turf war." I gaze at the weapon...

… I don't know what to say… My first weapon to call my own…

"This is… for me?" I ask.

"Yup. All yours. I don't need it anymore." I look at the splattershot. Just like the one from the dojo… Only, it had my name engraved on it. Out of gratification, I hug him, to which he returns the hug.

"Thank you... thank you so much. Not just for the weapon, but for the entire day." I said gratefully. He then releases me.

"You're welcome Niko. I'm glad you had fun today." He said with his usual friendly smile. "Well, I'm going to go downstairs to watch some television. You want to join?"

Hmm... Well I don't have anything better to do at the moment...

"Ok. Why not?" I said. I put down my new splattershot on the bed, and follow him downstairs.

 **Author's Note: There's chapter 5. Now onto 6 where Niko will engage in her first turf war, and we'll meet some new friends, as well as a certain squid sister. Also, to anyone who came here from Splatoon Amino to read this, thank you so much. And also, special thanks to Splatoon Amino users Rolling-Squids, Squidney, Tabbi for drawing Niko for me, Dειq for drawing Zack, and Nerdy-Chan for drawing both. Thank you all. You are all awesome people, and those drawings were huge motivators on getting this chapter done. Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed this chapter, then leave a review if you want too. Till next chapter...**

 **See yas :)**


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